The impact of medical issues on the job stress and job satisfaction of jail staff

Abstract

The work environment of corrections has received a great deal of attention, with several empirical studies focusing on the causes and consequences of employee job stress and job satisfaction. Researchers have recently begun to explore the impact of medical concerns in correctional settings, though most of this research has focused on prisons or inmates’ perception of the problem. As American jail populations continue to grow as part of what has been referred to as ‘mass imprisonment’, it seems likely that already deficient medical services will suffer, impacting not only inmates, but jail personnel as well. Unfortunately, the nature of these problems (and effects) is relatively unknown. The current study seeks to fill a research void by examining the degree to which jail staff perceive medical issues as problematic in their work setting, as well as the role that such concerns play as a cause of both job stress and satisfaction. Using survey data collected from a large county jail system in Florida, the findings suggest that medical issues are a concern among jail personnel, though only a few of these issues explain job stress and satisfaction.